Sakugawa Sogo-Kumite

佐久川   綜合組手

Sakugawa Sogo-Kumite (or 佐久川 綜合組手 in Japanese) consists of five comprehensive fighting sequences of Bo versus Bo that are derived from the Sakugawa kata of Ryukyu Kobujutsu. To begin with, Sakugawa ( 佐久川 ) was the last name of Budo Master Kanga Sakugawa. He was born as Kanga Teruya on 3 March 1733 in the village of Torihori, near the town of Shuri, Okinawa. After returning from studing Martial Arts in China, he changed his first name into ‘Tode’ (meaning ‘Chinese Hand’). Tode Sakugawa developed three Bo Kata (before he died on 17 August 1815 at the age of 82). Within Ryukyu Kobujutsu, three versions of Sakugawa kata are preserved. Next, kumite (or 組手 in Japanese) means ‘sparring’. Thirdly, ‘sogo’ (or 綜合 in Japanese; sōgō) means ‘composite’, ‘synthesis’, ‘integration’, or ‘putting together’. It has become customed to translate these forms of Kumite as ‘comprehensive’. In the video embedded below (recorded on 8 July 2024), budoka Johan Oldenkamp, a former national champion from the Netherlands, performs the five comprehensive staff fighting sequences for the (three) Sakugawa kata.

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